ETLB Squawk Forums — Archive

Winter at its best!  If you an call it winter a 60º F, overcast, 1500 ft ceilling and  almost no wind. Makes the best flying  time of the year although not a breath taking sight.
There's no electricity in the hangar, so I had to borrow a generator to vacuum the tank area. How come? In order to pull out the tank I had to sand off some edges; tank increases in size with time, same as many people's belly  

I am curious, why are you vacuuming the tank area? Do critters get in there and create a housing environment? Did you remove the tank for this maintenance activity?

Paul Fiebich

My aircraft being open cockpit I often take the tailplane off to vacuum out dust and grass......its surprising where it comes from and I never see anything go IN.....must be that fan up the front?

A good way to tell is pick up the tailwheel and shake the fuse vertically up and down...as you can hear the "stuff " in the fuselage...and best done in a quite area of coarse.

regards Arthur

Quoted from fiebichpv I am curious, why are you vacuuming the tank area? Do critters get in there and create a housing environment? Did you remove the tank for this maintenance activity?

Paul Fiebich

I wanted to inspect the rubber grommet and also the fuel hose connection. In order to pull out the tank I had to sand off the tank compartment edges, so dust and wood chips went inside the tank area. No further debris or dirt was found in that area. Inside the cockpit is another story, there's a always some dust and grass that needs to be vacuum.
The rear fuselage hole is another visitor's entrance, that's why I always put the tail on horse saw.

Ricardo I know about visitors in the tail section. I found a rat nest in mine so I too started elevating it.

Monte

I do the same thing, raise the tail, but my reason is that it makes it easier to walk under the plane. I don't have to duck so far down.  With my open framework in the aft section, dust and debris just blow right through.  Hope to make a flight tomorrow to visit a friend who is purchasing an AirBike that is being trailered to where he lives in Kansas. He wants my opinion of the plane's condition and perhaps the value. Another friend just sold his AirBike to a fellow in Georgia, got $6K for it. That is encouraging. Some day I will need to sell mine. These AirBikes are such fun airplanes!

Paul Fiebich

Quoted from Arthur Withy My aircraft being open cockpit I often take the tailplane off to vacuum out dust and grass......its surprising where it comes from and I never see anything go IN.....must be that fan up the front?

A good way to tell is pick up the tailwheel and shake the fuse vertically up and down...as you can hear the "stuff " in the fuselage...and best done in a quite area of coarse.

regards Arthur

Gads! That's brilliant.
I'm sure I would have though of it at some point...

I just raised the tail of my MiniMAX and put it on a sawhorse because I saw it being done by the "cool kids". Being a nerd I thought I needed all the "cool" I could get! At least now I know there's a good reason to do it.  

Lynn

I have the tail of my minimax and the Pietenpol raised and sitting on a sawhorse. Always have. Never have had any critters in it....well, besides a cat that liked to sleep on the minimax seat  


Larry

Quoted from Larry I have the tail of my minimax and the Pietenpol raised and sitting on a sawhorse. Always have. Never have had any critters in it....well, besides a cat that liked to sleep on the minimax seat  


Larry

Better to sleep on the seat than the wing .

NOW IVE HAD A MOUSE LOOK AT ME...JUST.... LIKE THE CAT....NOW IF WE COULD GET THEM TOGETHER ...THAT WOULD MAKE AN INTERESTING VIDEO...LOL

OHH AND TO FINISH THE STORY...AFTER THE MOUSE WAS LOOKING AT ME HE DECIDED TO JUMP....NO PARACHUTE...I GUESS IT WAS TERMINAL FOR THE LITTLE CRITTER....AND OF COARSE HAD ME WONDERING ABOUT LOTS OF ISSUES..!!!!!!

CHEERS ARTHUR

so I got to wondering, what is the terminal velocity of a mouse? would it survive? I guess Im not the first to google it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/jhd4h/if_a_mouse_was_falling_at_terminal_velocity_and/

OK great Nice to know the mouse made it....however a Horse "splashes"...hmmm.... Im sure to have nightmares Now.. Giddy Up.....LOL